A diet against capitalism in Georgian style

2011-09-22 14:26

The head of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Georgia Irakli Petriashvili is going on a hunger strike to prove righteousness of arrested workers of Kutaisi enterprise "Hercules". As a result of the strike against low wages and poor working conditions the most recalcitrant metallurgists were punished. A diet of the union leader, of course, will not improve the situation at the plant. It will only indicate that the situation with protection of workers' rights is realy very bad in Georgia.

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In modern times, even restrained British emerge at the streets to protest, so that the strike of hot Kutaisi guys at the metallurgical plant "Hercules" won't be surprising for anyone in the world. However, the Confederation of Trade Unions of Georgia has no effective tools to influence brazen police, so the organization's leader Irakli Petriashvili still appeals to colleagues in the West. Today, September 21, he intends to meet with representatives of accredited in Georgia diplomatic corps and international organizations. He wants them to make leadership of the country, which set the police against the workers who defended their rights at the meeting, feel ashamed.

Irakli Petriashvili will become "cleansed" during two days of fasting when he'll go to a meeting with foreigners. Even on Sunday he threatened to start a hunger strike if the police will not release from custody three metallurgists of the plant "Hercules" of the Company "Eurasiansteels" - Irakli Iobidze, Emil Gumberidze and Malkhaz Gogiava. On Monday, the Kutaisi city court has sent them to prison for 10 days. The Confederation of Trade Unions argues that the sentence is was mitigated only after resolute protest of the organization. Otherwise, the detainees would have to sit in prison nearly until the New Year.

Trinity of brave men have been punished under the 173rd article of the Code of Administrative Offences, that is, for disobeying the police, in particular, for refusing to drug testing. By the way, they were tested by force and no drugs were found in their blood. Even if Irakli, Emil and Malkhaz have resisted this was only because they had taken offence by the suspicion of drug use.